AAAAUUGH! I’VE GOT ONLY 9 MONTHS LEFT!
Sorry, that’s just kind of scary for me. I don’t want to finish my mission, and I’m kind of freaking out. What the heck am I going to do with my life?!
Anyway, I’m kind of just writing this email so that you know I’m not dead or something. I’m not entirely sure what to tell you guys because it’s been an interesting week, but not really with stories or anything. This week I’ve just had a kind-of-tough mission experience.
This entire cambio I’ve been struggling a little bit just because there’s so much stuff that I feel like I’m doing wrong, and it’s been hurting my pride more than anything. I’ve been feeling useless because I can’t help as much as I wanted, but I didn’t know that it was because I’m so prideful until recently, when my companion burned me a little for complaining so much (I’m a bit of a whiner, as you know) and I realized that I was whining because I was trying too hard to be useful… but I was doing it by myself, without God’s help. I can’t do this without Him, but I was trying to do it anyway because I thought I could (man, I’m prideful!). So once I realized that, everything else fits into place and I’m becoming better.
This has happened before; it seems the Lord needs to give me a giant smack upside-the-head at times to humble me a little, and quite honestly I’m happy with it. The process is a little tough, but at least I’m improving! That’s what I value most: That even if I’m pretty dumb, at least I won’t be half as dumb after my mission is over! If it helps me avoid doing tonterías that still bother my conscience (?) months later, bring it on!
Yeah, so that was the more depressing– and more hopeful– part of my week. The rest of it was all pretty good, mostly because my companion and I finally ate the half-pound Reese’s I got for Christmas!
The look you see here on my companion’s face is the look of pure ecstasy! Because we’re eating giant Reese’s, of course! Who can’t be happy about giant Reese’s?!
And this week we finally got the most awesome t-shirt I have made in my entire mission:
ISN’T THAT AWESOME?! Applause for me (for being my idea), for my district (for not forgetting their childhood so much that they think Pokémon isn’t cool anymore), to Dad (for making the images), and to Yoyi, our clothing guy, for fixing the shirt and everything!
But yeah, that’s all for now! ¡Chao!
— Elder Schroeder